All six matches of Bangladesh and the opening ceremony of the 2011 Cricket World Cup will be held at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, revealed the Bangladesh Cricket Board at an inter-ministerial meeting on Monday. ‘The Sher-e-Bangla Stadium is the only venue proposed for the opening ceremony and the official World Cup matches. The Bangabandhu National Stadium and Fatullah Stadium have been proposed only as alternative venues,’ said BCB chief executive officer Mahmudur Rahman after the meeting. It was the first such meeting in Bangladesh about the 2011 mega event, which India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will also co-host. India will host 22 matches of the competition including the final while Pakistan and Sri Lanka will stage 16 and nine matches respectively. Representative from the home, civil aviation and tourism, health, LGRD, finance, post and telecommunications, commerce, foreign, sports and information ministries attended the meeting at the Bangladesh Secretariat. ‘We have only three years left to host the World Cup. But there are numerous issues yet to be settled. They all were discussed in the meeting,’ said Rahman, one of the three BCB officials to have attended it. ‘We have estimated around 1200 beds of five-star hotels will be needed during the World Cup for players, officials, ICC officials and television crews. If we add the spectators who are expected to come here during the tournament, the number will be much higher,’ said Rahman. ‘So accommodation of all these people demands serious attention. We also have to ensure hassle-free visas for the players, officials, spectators and journalists. Both issues were discussed at the meeting,’ said the official. ‘The home ministry has planed to make a safety and security plan for the officials and players and also decided to give them on-arrival visas,’ a statement from the ministry of sports said later. Bangladesh will take initiative to introduce a SAARC visa so that relevant players, officials, journalists, television crews and fans can travel without trouble to all four co-hosts, the statement confirmed. The National Board of Revenue will ensure import of television cameras, cables, food and beverage, prize money and the remuneration of ICC officials. Bangladesh Bank will ensure the smooth transfer of foreign currencies. The ministry of commerce will monitor the legal side against ambush marketing, trade mark and intellectual property rights, decided the meeting. The meeting also decided to take an extensive programme of tourism to promote Bangladesh during the tournament. Special tour packages will be offered to the overseas travellers while Dhaka city will decorated in a special way, said the official.